Gun



A. s. BALDWIN.

GUN.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I2. |911.

Patented Jan. 13, 1920.

IN V EN TOR.

WITNESS:

A TTORNEYS.

" a gun during the'irin operation by direct- UNTTED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR S. BALDWIN, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

GUN.

. vigamgssw.

' To all whom z't may concern Be it lmown that I, ARTHUR S. BALDWIN, a citizen of the 'United States, residing at Baltimore city,.in' the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Guns, of which the following is a specification.

f This invention relates to improvements in -guns 'and is directed particularly to im'- proved means for operating the breech mechanism through the force of the gases expelled at the muzzle after the shell or projectile has left the latter.

I am aware that it has heretofore ,been proposedV to utilize the gases generated in ing them` into chain' ers or cylinders in which a piston is located whereby the movement of the pistons or cylinders m-ay act to impartVv motion to' gun mechanisms, or to,

store uppower for use in eectinga'n oper ation' of such mechanisms.

My invention, however, differs from all' prior devices lwithin'my knowledge, mainly because, I avoid all use of cylinders or inclosed pistons into which the gases are directed or retained, and by such omissions I entirely avoid the undesirablecheinical actions which the gases have on the metal su-rfaces which tends to corrode them andcause mis-operation of the gun. f

Bymeans of iny invention Il permit the gases to blow directly into the atmosphere --and carry all unburnt powders with them where they can have no detrimental action on the metal parts, but at the same time I A'direct those Iexpelled gasesk against a -movable abutment orabutments which latter is or are exposed 'to the atmosphere and are mechanically connected to the breech mechanism, so that movementof the abutments willv be utilized to operate the breech mechanisms.

My4v inventive ide-a may be expressed inA various mechanical forms, one'of which is shown in the accompanying drawing, which however is .to be regarded as illustrative only, and not in any way as defining the sco e of the invention.

- n the drawing,- v Figure 1, showsv a'longitudinal sectional elevation through a portion of Ya gun Aand the barrel thereofand. also shows the im- .proved -device movably connected` Yto the muzzle and in the path of the gases which discharge from'the latter. f f v Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 13, 1920.

Application led February 12, 1917. vSerial No. 148,017.

Fig. 2, illustrates the abutment devices at the muzzle of the sligdhtly different from that shown in Fig. 1, an

It is to be understoodvthat the 4particular construction of the gun pai-ts, includingl the breech mechanism, is'entirely immaterial to tlie..present inventionfand may be very difgun barrel andof a forma uio I Fig. 3, shows a front or end elevation of tlie same. i l

ferent from that shown, Iand that the ac- -companying illustration is 4merely for the 1 purpose of disclosing an embodimentof thevinventive idea.

lReferring to the drawing the numeral 4,- designates the barrel of thje gun, at the inner end of which is located the breech-bolt ,5, which in. the form shown, is rotatably mounted in a sleeve 6. A'fiiing pin 7, extends longitudinally in the breech-bolt and .is arranged to strike the cap-end 8, of a shell Y 9, to effect a detonation of the latter. .In

the' present inst-ance the breech devices are designed to lbe operated lthrough the longitudinal movement of a rack bar 10, whichV latter is sustained in suitable guides 11, and has a rack 12, at its forward end. A pinion 13, is revolubly sustained in a bearing 'de supporting means projecting beyond the muzzle of the barrel, and in the present instancethe supporting means consists of 'a plurali y of arms or bars 19. By preference, these ahms or bars are shown as divarging, asthey vextend forward, sothat thedistance theyvextend in front of the muzzle. however is,v not essential.

The arms or bars 19,v sustain a series `of spaced-apart abutments, which in the pres? ent instance, have the form of annular plates 20, each with a-central openingl or perforation, and arranged so that vthe openings Aor perforations will aline with the rifled bore 21, of-'the barrel. These annular abutment plates 20, have a conical central formation between them will gradually increase as- This:

' tween the several abutment plates are en tirely open to the atmosphere which has free circulation in and about each plate.

By preference, I graduate the plates 20,

in that they differ in diameter so that the plate directly in front of the muzzle will be of a smaller diameter than the plates rbeyond it. y

In the form shown iii Fig. 2, however, the abutment plates laie of a uniform diameter and while this may not be as effective in practice, the action of the gases will be substantially the same. 4

In operation, when the 'gun is fired, the shell or projectile will pass from the bore at the muzzle and be projected through the openings or perforationsat the center of each of the series of plates. The gases, however, following the shell or projectile from the muzzle, expand, and portions thereof will strike the conical portion of the irst plate and be diverted laterally against the dishedsout formation 23, where its force will be directed against the rear side of the late and tend to drive the latter forward ther portions of the gases will pass through the central opening of one plate and willv further expand and act on the rear of the next plate ahead and this action continues from 'plate to plate so that the impinging gases so that there is no possibility of corroding or clogging movable parts that will affect the operation of the gun.

whereby the motion imparted to said inipact devices by the gases is .mechanically transmitted to the breech mechanism.

AHaving described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is,-

1. In a gun the combination with the gunbarrel, of breech mechanism, a sleeve slidable on the gun barrel; a plurality of arms, each havinga rear end attached to the sleeve and projecting forwardly in front of the barrel and said arms diverging as they extend forward; a plurality of disks supported by the diverging arms one in front of the other,-said sleeve, diverging arms and disks all being movable with respect to the barrel, and means for connecting the sleeve with the breech mechanism. l

2. In a gun the combination with the gunbarrel,l of breech mechanism; a sleeve slid able on the gun barrel; a Vplurality of arms, each having a rear end attached to the sleeve and projecting forwardly in front of the barrel and said arms diverging as they extend forward; a plurality of disks of differing diameters supported by the diverging arms with the diskof the smallest diameter nearest to the sleeve and the disk of the greatest diameter at the -outer ends of the divergingarms, and the sleeve, diverging arms and disks all being movable with respect to the barrel, and means for connecting the sleeve with the breech mechanism.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ARTHUR S. BALDWIN.

Witnesses:

THos. J. MYER, WM. M.TUCKER.

so n 

